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Voter ID issue causes confusion in Lebanon County

The revised law proved problematic for some local poll workers and voters on Tuesday

By LES STEWARTLebanon Daily News

Updated:
11/07/2012 09:15:56 AM EST

A Swatara Township resident snapped this photo on Tuesday of a poster hanging at the polling place at the Swatara Township municipal building. The poster says, "Voters are required to show an acceptable photo ID at their polling location," when, in fact, they are not. The poster was eventually removed. (SUBMITTED)

The much-maligned Pennsylvania voter-identification law caused some confusion among some Lebanon County poll workers and voters on Tuesday.

County Democratic Committee Chairman Chris Tarsa said his mother, Arbelyn Tarsa, was told she had to show her ID before she could vote at the South Lebanon Township municipal building.

"She's voted there for 46 years," her son said. "She knew the law."

Tarsa said she initially refused to show ID, but a poll worker said he wasn't going to sign her in if she did not show identification. She relented and showed the ID, he said.

"If there was someone who was too exuberant, Nick (Yingst, county director of elections and voter registration) got the word out, and it was resolved," Tarsa said.

The Democratic chairman said that, as far he had heard, no one was refused the ability to vote.

"He's been terrific," Tarsa said.

Yingst said his office called some poll workers on Tuesday to address confusion over the ID law.

"Every time we get a complaint, I get on the phone right away," he said, noting that his prime concern was that no one be refused the right to vote. "In a lot of instances, it was a first-time voter," he said of ID complaints.

Yingst said he had not received any formal complaints as of Tuesday evening.

"I would rather get on the phone," he said. "That is the best way to rectify the situation.

Yingst said first-time voters were required to show photo ID, but that is not required for voters who were previously registered and have voted in prior elections.

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As the law stands now, showing ID will be mandatory in future elections.

Some voters may have also been confused about the law, Yingst said.

"There's been so much information thrown out to the voters, I think it's understandable that some of the voters are confused," he said. "We are not aware of any voter being turned away from the polls for not showing ID other than the first-time voters who do have to show it."

Another problem arose at the Swatara Township Municipal Building. Cindy Johnson said a poster at the building may have confused some voters. The poster, apparently hung earlier this year after the voter ID measure was enacted, tells voters they are required to show identification.

"Nowhere on that sign does it say anything about next year," Johnson said.

When she signed in to vote, she was asked for identification, Johnson said. She told the poll worker she thought that requirement would not be effective until next year. The worker said they were required to ask voters, but voters were not required to show it.

Johnson said she wasn't prevented from voting.

"I'm wondering how many people walked away when they saw that sign," she said.

"We were actually contacted by one of the campaigns about that," Yingst said. "We sent a judge out right away. It was an old poster from while the law was fully in effect. We don't know who put it up, but it wasn't us. As soon as we found it, the judge pulled it down. We were actually happy for the tip."